Tucked into a residential street in the Padasuka area near Saung Angklung Udjo, the wayang golek workshop of the late master carver Mang Ujo continues turning out the rod puppets central to Sundanese theatre. Visitors can drop in during working hours to watch the carving, painting and dressing of the puppets — a process that takes weeks for a single character.
The shop sells the finished pieces. Prices range from inexpensive simple puppets to museum-quality work in the hundreds of dollars. Even if you do not buy, the demonstration is genuinely interesting; the carvers are happy to talk about the characters (Rama, Arjuna, Cepot, Petruk) and the stories behind them.